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. 2021 Apr 1;13(4):1166.
doi: 10.3390/nu13041166.

The Dietary Inflammatory Index Is Associated with Low Muscle Mass and Low Muscle Function in Older Australians

Marlene Gojanovic  1 , Kara L Holloway-Kew  1 , Natalie K Hyde  1 , Mohammadreza Mohebbi  2 , Nitin Shivappa  3   4 , James R Hebert  3   4 , Adrienne O'Neil  1 , Julie A Pasco  1   5   6
Affiliations

The Dietary Inflammatory Index Is Associated with Low Muscle Mass and Low Muscle Function in Older Australians

Marlene Gojanovic et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Age-associated chronic, low grade systemic inflammation has been recognised as an important contributing factor in the development of sarcopenia; importantly, diet may regulate this process. This cross-sectional study examined the association of diet-related inflammation with components of sarcopenia. Participants (n = 809) aged 60-95 years from the Geelong Osteoporosis Study were studied. Body composition was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In this study, low appendicular lean mass (ALM/height2, kg/m2) was defined as T-score < -1 and low muscle function as Timed-Up-and-Go >10 s over 3 m (TUG > 10). Dietary inflammatory index (DII®) scores, based on specific foods and nutrients, were computed using dietary data collected from a food frequency questionnaire. Associations between DII scores and low muscle mass and low muscle function, alone and combined, were determined using linear and logistic regression. After adjusting for covariates, higher DII score was associated with lower ALM/height2 (β -0.05, standard error (SE) 0.02, p = 0.028), and higher natural log-transformed (ln) (TUG) (β 0.02, standard error 0.01, p = 0.035) and higher likelihood for these components combined (odds ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.69, p = 0.015). A pro-inflammatory diet, as indicated by higher DII score, is associated with lower muscle mass, poorer muscle function and increased likelihood for the combination of low muscle mass and low muscle function. Further studies investigating whether anti-inflammatory dietary interventions could reduce the risk of sarcopenia are needed.

Keywords: aged; dietary inflammatory index; dietary patterns; frailty; inflammation; muscle function; muscle mass; sarcopenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

K.L.H.-K. was supported by an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. She has received funding from the Prolia BCGP Competitive Grant Program and Amgen Investigator Sponsored Studies Grant. N.K.H. was supported by a Dean’s Research Postdoctoral Fellowship (Deakin University). A.O. is supported by a Future Leader Fellowship (#101160) from the Heart Foundation Australia and Wilson Foundation. She has received research funding from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia, Australian Research Council, University of Melbourne, Deakin University, Sanofi, Meat and Livestock Australia and Woolworths Limited and Honoraria from Novartis. The Food and Mood Centre with which A.O. is affiliated has received funding from the Fernwood Foundation, the A2 Milk Company and Be Fit Foods. J.A.P. has received funding from the NHMRC, the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Australia, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Amgen, The BUPA Foundation, Osteoporosis Australia, Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, the Geelong Community Foundation, the Western Alliance and the Norman Beischer Foundation. J.R.H. owns controlling interest in Connecting Health Innovations LLC (CHI), a company that has licensed the right to his invention of the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) from the University of South Carolina in order to develop computer and smart phone applications for patient counselling and dietary intervention in clinical settings. N.S. is an employee of CHI. The subject matter of this paper will not have any direct bearing on that work, nor has that activity exerted any influence on this project. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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